


It'll Be Like Avatar, Probably

by whoviangoesthere



Category: Red vs. Blue
Genre: Elemental Magic, Gen, Original Content - Freeform, Season 13 AU, Season/Series 13 Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-01
Updated: 2017-08-27
Packaged: 2018-11-22 02:51:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 15,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11371059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whoviangoesthere/pseuds/whoviangoesthere
Summary: It was called "The Temple of the Elements".  No one knew it would cause so much trouble.





	1. Chapter 1

              “Why are we just now investigating these temples?” Palomo complained.  “They’ve been sitting here _forever_ and nothing’s happened.”

              “The simpler mind must not be able to understand the knowledge that we could benefit from places like this,” Doctor Grey replied, pushing aside another low-hanging branch.  “Besides, the Captains and I want to, and you wouldn’t want to upset me, would you Palomo?”

              Palomo gulped and turned to Tucker, who was walking behind him, struggling with the overgrowth of the forest around them.

              “Don’t look at me,” he replied, panting slightly.  “I just wanna know if this place has something we can beat the bad guys with.”

              “Ooh, hold on for a moment!” Grey exclaimed, grinding to a halt.  “I may have found something!”

              “Is it shiny?” Caboose called from the back.  “The last one was shiny!”

              Grey wiped away some moss that had been growing on the side of what looked like a big rock.  The alien writing on it caught the sunlight and almost seemed to glow.

              “’The Temple of the Elements’,” Grey read aloud.

              “Awww, this isn’t gonna be like the Temple of Landscaping, is it?” Tucker grumbled.  “That place was boring.”

              “One way to find out,” Grey replied.  She turned to a rockface covered in creeping vines and brushed her fingers over it.

              “Tucker, your sword.”

              With one motion Tucker sliced the wall, burning the vines away and activating the lock.  The wall slid open, revealing a nondescript hallway leading downhill.

              “After you,” Grey said, and Tucker could hear the smile in her voice.  He rolled his eyes and walked into the hallway.

              It led down into an open area underground.  Along the walls, six columns were carved into delicate symbols that Tucker could barely read.  In the middle of the room was a control panel with a holographic display, on which were a few switches and a big red button.

              “Oh, come on, you can’t _not_ let me press that!” Tucker moaned.  Grey approached the panel and scanned it thoroughly.

              “It says ‘Activating this temple will grant those around it with the gifts of the Elements’.”

              “So we’d become what, like some sort of hippies or something?” Tucker asked.  “’One with nature’ and all that?”

              “It could be referring to the Periodic Table of Elements…” Grey mused.  “Giving us a better understanding of the world around us.”

              “More boring knowledge?” Tucker groaned.  “I wanted something badass, like a cool motorcycle or – Caboose, NO - ”

              But Caboose had already approached the panel and pressed the button.

              The six columns around them whirred to life, glowing brightly.  The floor beneath them began to shake.

              “Caboose, what did you just _do?!_ ” Tucker hissed as he tried to find his footing.

              “It was shiny…” Caboose said softly.

              “Everyone, brace for impact!” Grey shouted, perky as ever.

              “Impact from _what_?” Tucker screamed.

              “The temple is activated!  It’s sending out some sort of energy signature.  It will only be a matter of seconds before - ”

              She was cut off as a burst of _something_ slammed through the room, knocking everyone off their feet.  Tucker’s head hit something hard, and everything went black.

* * *

              “Tucker, come in!”

              The voice sounded far away.  Tucker let out a groan.

              “Captain Tucker, do you read me?”

              It sounded like Carolina.  Tucker grit his teeth and pushed himself up, clutching at his helmet.

              “Yeah, yeah, I hear you,” he managed.  “What’s going on?”

              “Is everyone there awake?”

              Tucker looked around.  Grey was already up, scampering around everyone, who were all lying on the floor in various stages of recovery.

              “I think so?” Tucker responded.  “Why?”

              There was a slight pause.

              “Tucker, there was a blackout.”

              “A what?” His head still hurt.

              “Whatever you just activated knocked out everyone on Chorus.”

              Tucker tried to stand, failed, and instead went back to trying to massage his aching temple through his helmet.

              “Just my luck Caboose activates the sleep machine,” he muttered.  “How bad’s the damage this time?”

              Another pause.

              “Damnit, Carolina, if you’re just gonna give me dramatic silences, I’ll - ”

              “It wasn’t just a blackout.”

              “What are you - ”

              “Look around.”

              Tucker glanced up at the room.  Palomo was curled up on the ground, cursing profusely, and wherever he put his hands, the floor became scorched.  Caboose was sitting up staring at the control panel, and his hands were glowing.  The other two cadets that had come on the mission were helping each other get up, but –

              But one of them had just disappeared into thin air.

              The other cadet started screaming before the first one reappeared five feet away.

              “Fascinating,” Grey whispered, before she ran over to comfort the second cadet, who was shaking and pointing at the first, mumbling nonsense.  The first was staring at his hands.

              “Carolina,” Tucker said.  “What the fuck is going on?”

              “It’s all over.  Andersmith started glowing in the dark.  I think Kimball made a tank move with her mind.  And Wash…”

              Tucker felt his stomach sink.

              “He’s been…teleporting.  Randomly.  Only him.”

              The two cadets were now holding hands.  Tucker thought the first one was crying.

              “You need to get back to base,” Carolina ordered.  “Now.”

              Tucker forced himself to his feet.  Caboose had taken off his helmet and was gazing at his hands and grinning.

              “I’m so shiny now!” he cried.

              Palomo looked at Tucker and held up a shaking hand.  Smoke was rising off of it.

              “Yeah,” Tucker said, taking a deep breath.  “We’ll be there soon.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so begins an idea I've been wanting to do for a bit. A crossover between RvB and my own original book. Cue shenanigans. Settle in and enjoy :)  
> Update schedule will probably be once a week. More often if I'm feeling inspired/don't have work to do.


	2. Chapter 2

              The ride back to base was nerve-wracking and nearly impossible.  Grey and Tucker drove, them and the other cadet being the only members of the squad who hadn’t yet exhibited signs of new powers.  Palomo was trying his best not to burn everything he touched, and in the end resigned himself to clasping his hands tightly together and practicing some deep breathing techniques that Grey had taught him.  The two cadets, now known to Tucker as Kahler and Romano, were   still clinging to one another.  As the Warthog sped up, Romano disappeared again, reappearing on the road a hundred feet behind them.

              “I don’t understand it…” Grey mused as Romano continued crying as he climbed back into the Warthog.

              “Well we can’t just let him teleport out of the goddamn car!” Tucker insisted, gripping the steering wheel with excessive force.

              “Can I hug him?” Caboose asked, holding up his hands.  The glow had faded, but it was still there.  “Maybe something shiny will help.”

              Tucker glanced at Grey.

              “I suppose having a physical anchor might prevent the powers from spontaneously functioning.”

              “You have no idea if it will work, do you?” Tucker sighed.  Grey looked offended.

              “It’s a hypothesis!” Grey defended.  Tucker rolled his eyes and nodded to Caboose, who let out a cry of joy and wrapped his arms tightly around Romano, who stopped crying in favor of grunting in pain.  Kahler held his hand, squeezing his fingers gently.

              Grey’s hypothesis seemed to work, as the rest of the drive was uneventful.  They pulled into the motor pool at seventeen hundred, where it was deserted save Carolina herself, patiently waiting.

              “Tucker,” Carolina said breathlessly, approaching him as he clambered out of the car.  “Is everyone okay?”

              Tucker looked behind him.  Romano seemed unsteady, but he hadn’t teleported yet.  Palomo awkwardly climbed to the ground without using his hands.

              “We’re fine.  I think.  We’ve…seen things.  Carolina, what the hell is going on?”

              “That’s what we’re trying to find out.  Anything happen to you?”

              “Nothing yet.  You?”

              Carolina shook her head.

              “There’s several people who haven’t shown anything, but…I have a feeling that won’t last long.”

              Behind Tucker, Kahler screamed as Romano disappeared again.  Tucker felt Carolina wince even through her helmet.

              “You mentioned Wash?” Tucker hesitantly asked, not wanting to hear the answer.

              “It’s one of the rarer ones.  We have no idea…look, just come with me.  Kimball’s meeting with Doyle right now.  We can try and clear things up.”

              “Have you figured out what the hell is happening?” Tucker said as he followed Carolina.

              “Not exactly.”

* * *

              Tucker could feel the tension resonating throughout the meeting room when he walked in.  Kimball was standing next to Doyle, who was occasionally distracted by the small beads of light shining off his fingers.  Red team was there, as was Carolina and Doctor Grey, who had followed Tucker after ensuring Romano was in good hands.

              “Temple of the Elements, huh?” Kimball said after Tucker filled everyone in.  “Explains a lot.”

              “Though not everything,” Doyle added.

              “First things first,” Tucker demanded.  “What happened?”

              Kimball took a deep breath.

              “When you activated the temple, everyone blacked out.  When we woke up, people were changed.  So far, we’ve been able to identify six different sets of “powers”, for lack of a better word.  There’s the obvious, the teleporting.  That’s only affected a small group of people, but it’s caused a lot of strife.  Then there’s the glowing.”

              She gestured to Doyle, then Caboose.

              “It’s been harmless so far, if not somewhat annoying.  Then people have been burning things using only their hands.  Others, including myself, exhibited some form of telekinesis over large metal objects.  The other two we discovered on accident, one when Jensen spilled a fuel can.  It didn’t…fall.  It just…floated back into its container.  And Donut - ”

              “Ooh, may I tell this one, General?” Donut exclaimed.

              Kimball sighed.  “Go ahead.”

              “I can fly!”

              “You can’t - ” Kimball interrupted.  “’Flying’ is a loose term.  You can _jump_.”

              “High into the sky!”

              “And it isn’t just him.”

              Kimball looked over at Grey.

              “Did you see anything in that Temple that explained exactly what these ‘powers’ are?”

              “Well!” Grey responded.  Her perkiness hadn’t left her.  “This certainly doesn’t seem like the Periodic Table.”

              “There were six columns,” Tucker supplied.  “Six elements?  Six different powers?  It adds up.”

              “Which elements?” Kimball asked.

              “Um, well.” Simmons cleared his throat.  “The usual basic four are fire, water, earth, and air.  Not sure about the other two, but one’s gotta be light related.”

              “Um, Simmons?” Grif said, casting him a side-glance.  “How do you know this?”

              “There used to be this really old cartoon about it!  It was really good, did no one else here watch it?”

              There was no response.  Simmons pouted.

              “Well, it’s something to go on at least,” Doyle said, trying to sound upbeat.

              “It still leaves us with an unknown.  And that’s the least of our problems.  We don’t know how to control any of it.  We managed to keep everyone from panicking, but we’re not sure how long that’s going to last.  And - ”

              Kimball cut herself off, staring at the ground.

              “We haven’t thought of the worst case scenario here.”

              “Which is?” Carolina asked.

              “That blackout was global.  Worldwide.  We confirmed it with our scouts.”

              “Meaning?” Tucker gulped.

              “Meaning our _enemies_ might have these powers too.”

              Silence fell over the room.  Tucker suddenly imagined Felix with the power to burn everything he touched and he shuddered, rubbing the scar on his stomach.

              “So that’s our game plan,” he said firmly.  “We figure out how the hell to control our powers before _they_ can.”

              Carolina smirked, though there was no joy in her eyes.

              “That’s going to take a lot of effort.”

              “Then let’s get started,” Kimball ordered.

* * *

              Tucker found Wash in his room, clutching the edges of his bed.

              “You okay, dude?” Tucker asked, closing the door behind him.

              Wash looked up.  He was biting his lip, and his arms were shaking.

              “Close spaces help,” he said quietly.  “Less room for error, I think.”

              Tucker sat next to him and ran a soothing hand down Wash’s arm.

              “How bad is it?” Wash asked.  “Out there.”

              “Kimball and Carolina are coming up with a plan.  Red team split up and they’re helping Grey out by spreading moral support.  Don’t think Sarge is very good at it, but every bit helps.”

              Wash let out a small laugh.

              “Anyone else like me?”

              “A few.  They’re all scared, Wash.  Everyone is.”

              Wash nodded.

              “I’m trying to focus on it.  I haven’t moved in over two hours.”

              “That’s good!”

              Wash smiled.

              “Do you really think we can manage this?” he whispered.  “They were already on edge enough.  We had just gotten to some semblance of peace and now?  Now the world’s gone insane again.”

              Tucker wrapped an arm around Wash’s shoulders.

              “We’ve dealt with the Meta, an army of Texs, and we managed to outsmart _Felix_.  I think we can handle whatever the fuck this is.”

              Wash sighed.

              “I hope you’re right.”

              He turned to Tucker.

              “What about you?  Any powers yet?”

              “No, and it sucks!  I never come late, _bow chicka bow wow._ ”

              Wash laughed and leaned his head against Tucker’s chest.

              “Well here’s hoping you get what I have.  Then we can both be miserable.”

              “Dude, you are _so_ tense.  Can I _please_ distract you?”

              “I don’t know what you had in - ”

              Tucker cut him off with a kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have so many good ideas for the inevitable training montage :D


	3. Chapter 3

              It was the middle of the night when Tucker woke up to the sound of Wash crying in his sleep.

              He was gripping Tucker’s arm like his life depended on it, and his face was twisted up into a grimace as tears ran down his cheeks.

              “Wash,” Tucker whispered, shaking Wash’s shoulder lightly.  He was familiar with this routine, though seeing Wash like this always made his heart hurt.

              “Wash, it’s okay, I’m here, you’re - ”

              Tucker jumped back as he saw something in the dark corner of the room _move_.

              “Who’s there?!” he shouted, his hand going for his sword on the table nearby.

              It moved again, and Tucker activated his sword, lighting up the room and casting deep shadows on the floor.  He wrested his arm out of Wash’s grip enough that he could stand up, though Wash protested by letting out another small cry.

              “I’m right here, Wash, I…I - ”

              Tucker stuttered to a halt as he realized that the shadows were moving by themselves.  They were moving away from Tucker’s sword and towards Wash.  Tucker stared as they bunched up around the bed.

              Wash began thrashing.

              Tucker dropped his sword and gently held Wash’s leg.  He spoke in a stern whisper.

              “Wash, hey, it’s me.  There’s weird shit going on, I need you to wake up, okay? _”_

              Wash’s eyes flew open, and immediately the shadows disappeared.  Wash sat up, panting heavily, his fingers clutching at the air.  Tucker sat next to him and wrapped his arms around him.

              “Are you okay?” Wash asked

_Of course he would_ _ask me_ Tucker thought.

              “I think I know what your powers are,” he said, his voice shaky.

* * *

              Two hours later, after Tucker had sat with Wash and calmed him down, they both ran to Kimball’s office and pounded on the door.

              Kimball wrenched open the door, out of armor and her curly hair a mess.

              “Do you have _any idea_ what time it is?” she demanded, scowling at Tucker.  Her look softened when she saw Wash, who was still somewhat on edge, even now that he was in his armor.

              “What happened?” she asked.

              “The sixth element-thingy,” Tucker answered.  “It’s the dark.”

              Kimball stared at him before gesturing him inside.

              “What did you do?” Kimball asked, gesturing at Wash.

              “I’m not really sure,” he said.  “I was…asleep.”

              Tucker glanced over at Wash, asking silent permission.  Wash caught his eye and nodded back.

              “He was having a nightmare.  But during it, the shadows in the room went crazy.  They were moving on their own and - ”

              “Hold on.”  Kimball held up a hand.  “ _Shadows?_   Moving?”

              “Hey, aren’t you the lady who moved a fucking tank with your _mind?”_

              Kimball dropped her hand.

              “Fair enough.  So how does this connect to the teleportation?”

              “I think…” Wash offered.  “I think that when I disappear, I’m using the shadows.”

              There was a beat of silence.

              “Okay, I know it’s not the most _scientific_ explanation…”

              “At this point, I’m taking anything we can get,” Kimball sighed.  “Anything else?”

              “Small spaces,” Tucker said.

              Kimball raised an eyebrow.

              “You mentioned small spaces, Wash.  If we know it’s shadows, then where does that fit in?”

              “Less shadows in a smaller space,” Wash replied.  “Less room for error.”

              “We’ll try it with the other cadets today,” Kimball said.  “ _In a few hours_.”

              Tucker put on a smile as he grabbed Wash’s arm and pulled him through the door.

* * *

              If Tucker’s broadcast of Felix forced the Feds and the New Republic to work together, then this situation made them seem like brothers.

              Kimball and Doyle had arranged everyone to organize into groups based on their powers, if they had exhibited them.  Seven large groups of people, all a mixture of Feds and Republic, stood in various places around the main halls of the base, six for the powers, the seventh for those who hadn’t shown anything yet and were willing to help out in whatever way they could.  Kimball had said that this didn’t account for everyone, as she wanted to stagger the training, but Tucker still couldn’t help but marvel at how many people Caboose’s little stunt had affected.

              Most people by now had learned on their own how to not destroy everything they touched, but there were still huge numbers of people who were still panicking.  A lot of people hadn’t bothered putting on armor, or worse, hadn’t changed out of it, and Tucker could see hundreds of tired faces peering back at him.  He knew a majority of the people there had not had any sleep the night before.

              The first order of business was simply informing everyone what they had learned.  Kimball called Simmons, the apparent resident expert on the powers, forward, and he stumbled through a long-winded explanation that Tucker was certain contained at least five references to that dumb old tv show.  By the end, everyone either seemed relieved or more confused, but the sense of panic had been significantly lowered.

              After that, Kimball did her best to not give away the fact that she really had no idea how to run a training session with powers she had just been introduced to yesterday.

              “I want everyone to focus on what they think their powers can do.  Test it out as safely as you can manage, and report back your results.”

              She looked to Doyle, who hesitated before stepping forward.

              “I know you’re all…scared,” he began.  “I certainly am.  But we owe it to ourselves to try and figure this out.  So…try hard, and maybe one day we’ll beat the enemies’ powers too!”

              Tucker could see Kimball wince, even through her helmet, as a scared murmur made its way through the crowd.  Kimball yanked Doyle away from the microphone and glared at him as best her helmet could manage.

              “Have you gone absolutely insane?” she snapped.

              “I’m sorry, Vanessa, but - ”

              “Don’t call me that!”

              “But I figure we can’t hide everything from them!  Besides, they’ll have put it together already, and I - ”

              “You can’t go and tell a _panicked, terrified_ army with no clue what is happening to themselves that the _enemy_ might have the advantage!”

              Doyle fell quiet.  Kimball, noticing the awkward silence that had fallen, snapped her fingers at Tucker.

              “Go get the other captains and put them in charge of training.”

              “Isn’t Caboose part of that - ”

              “ _Now_ , Captain Tucker!”

              Tucker scampered out of the room.

              As it turned out, the Reds and Blues had all gathered together to the side.  Tucker tried to ignore the fact that they seemed to be waiting just for him.  Tucker slowed and took them in.

              Caboose had shed his armor in favor of trying to make his whole body glow.  Grif had accidentally moved the car he had been sleeping in the day before, and Simmons had discovered he could move oil as he was oiling his cyborg arm.  Donut had resisted ‘flying’ anymore, for which Tucker was grateful.  That left Sarge and Carolina, both of whom hadn’t shown any signs, just like Tucker.

              “Hey,” Wash said, walking up behind Tucker.  “There’s not a lot of people with the dark powers.  I figured I could lend a hand.  Do you need me?”

              Tucker shook his head before squeezing Wash’s hand.

              “Be careful out there.”

              Wash flashed him reassuring smile before putting on his helmet and walking away.

              “Um…” Tucker looked back at his team.  “Kimball wants you to help supervise training and stuff.”

              “What should we do?” Carolina asked.

              “Help out where we can.”

              Epsilon flickered to life on her shoulder.

              “No shit, Tucker,” he snarked.

              “Where the fuck have you been?” Tucker said, scowling at his blue avatar.

              “I was going over some data we intercepted from Charon.  It sounds like Hargrove knows about as much about these powers as we do.  And he didn’t get any, thank god.”

              “Jealous you’re in the same boat, Church?”

              Epsilon laughed.

              “And watch as I burn everything to the ground?  No thank you.  Benefits of being a fucking computer.”

              “That’s enough,” Carolina said.  “Let’s go.”

* * *

              Training, for the most part, went horribly.

              Tucker, Sarge, and Carolina spent their time circulating between the six groups.  Tucker started with the fire people, and witnessed a bunch of scared teenagers almost burn their faces off.  Even with targeted practice and the attempt of control Kimball had ordered, nothing worked, and most people were singed in some shape or form by hour two.  The water and air faired no better.  Though there weren’t as many deadly accidents, two cadets succeeded in almost drowning each other, and several people with air jumped too high and didn’t know how to land, resulting in Doctor Grey and her medics patching up several twisted ankles.

              Grif had managed to teach his fellow earth soldiers how to build a fort out of cars so people wouldn’t see you when you were napping.  When Bitters tried it, he managed to crash three Warthogs into one another, resulting in a very large explosion and three less Warthogs.  Nobody else after him wanted to try, and Tucker ended up almost yelling at them to stop trying to nap and actually practice.

              Caboose enjoyed showing off his glowing body parts to the other light soldiers, showing them how they could selectively choose which finger could glow.

              “Great,” Tucker muttered as he watched Andersmith laugh once he mastered the trick.  “We have a bunch of glowsticks but not a single useful power.”

              The only people who were making any headway were Wash and his crew of dark cadets.  Tucker watched as Wash focused on a mark on the floor, then teleported a few feet to the left of it.  He turned and encouraged Romano to do the same.  He managed to land a bit to the right, and let out a whoop of joy.

              “I see you’re having fun,” Tucker remarked as another person tried it.  “What’s your secret?”

              “It’s hard to explain,” Wash said.  “I sort of…focus on what the shadows are doing where I want to go, and if I try, I end up nearby.”

              Tucker gave him a side look.

              “I told you, it’s not very scientific!” Wash exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air.  “But I don’t see anyone else getting as far as we have!”

              “You’re right,” Tucker agreed, looking back at the mess of training he’d left behind.  “We need your focus.  People right now are just…waving their arms around hoping something will happen.  It’s insane.”

              “Maybe that’s the first step.  Focus.”

              Wash glanced down at his hands.

              “I haven’t been spontaneously teleporting.  None of the other cadets have.”

              “What did you do?” Tucker asked.

              “I…this will sound stupid…”

              “Go on,” Tucker said, a bit of a smile on his face.

              “I accepted the fact that I have powers and let it…work.  I didn’t fight it.”

              “You think that’s all it’ll take?”

              “It’s all we have to go on here,” Wash sighed.

              Tucker called Kimball over his radio.

              “Hey.  Wash has some ideas.”

              Not everyone wanted to try it.  A lot of people were still frightened of their own hands, and the idea of letting go terrified them.  But people like Palomo and Bitters were ready to try anything, and the result was instantaneous.  The fire soldiers’ hands stopped burning.  The water and air had more control, Donut managing to successfully land a backflip over a tank.  Grif admitted he had been doing it all along, but had disguised it as laziness.

              In the end, the majority of trainees were able to control their powers strongly enough that they weren’t a danger to themselves.

              “It’s progress,” Kimball remarked at the end of the training session.

              “It’s still lame,” Simmons said.  “We’re supposed to be fighting and being badass with our powers, not _this_.”

              “ _This_ is far better than what we started with, Captain Simmons,” Kimball said firmly.

              “Regardless, he kind of has a point,” Tucker muttered.

              “I’m sorry?” Kimball glared at him.

              “He’s right – all we’ve been seeing so far is a bunch of special effects.  The only people who could probably fight are the fire guys.  We need to seriously consider the fact that there might be more to these powers than what we’re seeing.”

              “I agree,” Doyle said.  “There’s got to be more to me than _this_.”

              He gestured at his glowing fingers.

              “We need to be satisfied with what we have _today_ ,” Kimball stated.  “I know there might be more to it, but we have to celebrate the small victories.  Yesterday I had a bunch of scared kids crying at my office door.  Today, thanks to everyone here, they’re laughing.  That’s worth something.”

* * *

              Caboose tailed behind Tucker as he walked back to his room.

              “Tucker, Tucker!” he said in his excited tone of voice.  “I had a lot of fun today.”

              “Me too, buddy,” Tucker replied.  “Made me fucking exhausted, though.”

              “You need to sit down!”  It wasn’t a question.

              “Yeah, that’d be nice.”

              “How about that nice fluffy chair?”

              “Ha ha, Caboose, I - ”

              Tucker stopped as he looked up and saw a fluffy blue armchair sitting in the hallway.

              “Caboose, what the hell?” Tucker said, running up to it, his muscles already relaxing.  “Did you get this on a supply – _oof -_ ”

              Tucker sat down, only to fall right through it and land uncomfortably on the floor.  Tucker spun around, but the chair wasn’t there.

              “Caboose, what the fuck?”

              Tucker stood up.  Next to him, the armchair reappeared.  It shimmered slightly in the wavering shadows, like a mirage, and when Tucker waved his hand through it, it vanished.

              “Caboose,” Tucker said again.  “What the fuck.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, this is FAR from the full extent of these powers. Poor guys need to work for it, though.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for being patient everyone. Sorry I didn't update last week, I was on a mini-vacation.

              Tucker caught Kimball as she was on her way into her room, already unsnapping her armor.  She gave him a withering glare as he opened his mouth.

              “Captain Tucker.  The _time_?”

              “Caboose can make things appear in midair!” Tucker blurted out.

              Kimball’s glare retreated, giving way to raised eyebrows.

              “Define _appear_.”

              Tucker recounted the armchair, and Kimball sighed.

              “I guess it makes sense that we still don’t know the extent of these powers.  I just wish there was a way to learn more…”

              They had reached Kimball’s door, and at that moment it opened, revealing Carolina in a somewhat revealing aqua tank top and shorts.  Tucker did a double take, and Carolina shot him a look that he knew meant he wouldn’t be speaking of this to anyone.

              “Well, there’s the coordinates we got,” she said.

              “The ones we were going to get to before all hell broke loose?” Kimball asked.  She was not reacting to the way Carolina was dressed, or the fact that she was _in Kimball’s room._

              Carolina nodded.  “Maybe they’ll take us somewhere that will explain all of this.  It’s obviously alien – maybe we need something alien to explain it.”

              “Good idea.  We’ll take a group out tomorrow morning.”

              “What about Site Alpha?”

              “Too risky.  Not with so many potentially powered soldiers in play.”

              Carolina nodded and stepped aside as Kimball entered her room.  Tucker was still staring.

              “Goodnight, Captain Tucker,” Kimball said forcefully, and slammed the door.

* * *

              Tucker woke up to screaming.

              _Wash_ he thought as he threw off his blanket and bolted down the hall.  He pounded on Wash’s door.

              “Wash, _Wash_ , are you in there, are you okay?”

              The screaming continued as the door opened, revealing a bleary-eyed Wash blinking back at him.

              “What’s that noise?” he murmured, rubbing at his eyes.

              Tucker snapped out of his terror and turned around, narrowing in on the sound.  Wash followed reluctantly as they both ran towards it.

              It was coming from a room near Kimball’s, and as Tucker got closer, he swore he heard laughter mixed with the screams.

              “What the hell?” he whispered as he opened the door.

              The screaming stopped abruptly as Tucker took in the scene.  The entire room was destroyed, burned into a crisp.  The walls were singed, the furniture in pieces, and the bedding still on fire.

              Doctor Grey was standing in the middle of the room, her hands outstretched and a huge grin on her face.

              “Tucker!  I’m so glad you’re here.  Look at what power has been gifted to me!”

              She let out a giggle.

              “Just think of the possibilities!  Cauterizing wounds, analyzing heat signatures, interrogating the enemy!”

              “Woah, slow down,” Tucker said, raising his arms and approaching Grey slowly.  “What exactly happened?”

              “I was observing the samples we obtained from the soldiers around here.  I was so focused on my work that I didn’t realize I had burned a hole through my notes!  And after that it was just experimentation.”

              Behind Tucker, Wash groaned.

              “Your _experimentation_ probably woke half the base up.”

              “Well it is oh-five-hundred, Agent Washington,” Grey replied with a coy smile.  “What better way to start the expedition!”

              “I’m going back to bed,” Tucker grumbled, before Wash caught his shirt.

              “You’re on the scouting party, Captain,” he ordered.  “Go get dressed.”

* * *

              Two hours later, Grey, Caboose, Carolina, and Tucker were approaching an abandoned temple.

              “It must have something to do with your mindset,” Grey was saying, after Tucker had asked her why she had powers and he didn’t.  “I was focused on my work, on the new powers.  Maybe you need to be too.”

              “Do you think I haven’t been doing that?” Tucker snapped.  “I’ve been staring at my hands wanting them to glow for days now!”

              “You two shut up and help me look around for something useful,” Carolina said.

              Everyone obliged.  They were a few steps into the temple when Epsilon appeared at Carolina’s shoulder.

              “I’m getting some funny readings.  We’re not alone.”

              Everyone fell into a circle, guns pointed out, except Caboose, who had Freckles trained on the ground.  Tucker stared out into the dark corners, heart pounding faster.

              “Who’s here, Church?” he asked.

              “I can’t tell, the readings are weird it’s like…like they’re not human.”

              “Alright, I can handle a couple aliens.”

              “I am not exactly an alien.”

              Everyone jumped and spun towards the deep voice.  A giant red Sangheili was floating in the air above them.

              “Who are you?” Carolina demanded, pointing her gun at its face.

              “An interested party.  I ran some tests on you as you entered the temple.  It seems you have been exposed to the Temple of the Elements.”

              “He’s an AI, Carolina,” Epsilon whispered.

              Carolina lowered her gun.

              “We came here for answers.  Can you give them to us?”

              “I can answer what I can.”

              There was silence for a few seconds, and Tucker realized how many questions they actually had.

              “What’s your name?” Caboose asked happily.  “Can I give you a name?”

              “I do not have a name.”

              “Then I shall call you: Santa.”

              Tucker rolled his eyes.

              “Let’s start with what actually happened to us,” Carolina said.

              “When you activated the Temple, it sent out a modified EMP, that - ”

              “An emp?” Caboose asked.  Tucker heard Epsilon snicker.

              “An EMP that, instead of targeting the electric currents in your equipment, targeted the electric currents in your brains.  This safely let you rest while the temple sent out other signals, which changed your DNA and enabled the powers you were bestowed.”

              “So how come I didn’t get anything?” Tucker said, confused.

              “Though all within the vicinity are affected, some go through the process differently.  In order to activate the changes, one must undergo extreme focus and meditation to - ”

              “I don’t have time for that!”

              Carolina waved him off.

              “Everyone got different powers.  Why?”

              “There are six elements that the temple is based around.  Each element is associated with the personality traits and emotional history of each subject.”

              “Meaning?”

              “Meaning, when broken down, each element has a positive and negative trait, by your human standards.  Fire is passionate, yet aggressive.  Water is crafty, yet conniving.  Earth is steadfast, yet stubborn.  Air is free-spirited, yet flighty.  Light is kind-hearted, yet over-caring.  And Darkness is highly emotional, yet introverted.”

              “Wait till Kimball hears that she’s _stubborn_ ,” Tucker joked.

              “In this way, the powers are chosen to reflect the heart of each warrior selected.  It is a gift from my species onto yours, that now you are exposed, and truthful with each other.  It is the belief of my people that only this way will you be able to utilize your powers to the best of your abilities.”

              “Okay, that’s great, we can all sing kumbaya later,” Church quipped.  “Right now we need to know how to stop the bad guys who your dumb temple _also_ gave powers to.”

              “If you deem the gift-bearers unworthy of their powers, then my people have created the Purge: a planet-wide cleanse that will wipe the unworthy from the living.  A key is required, and it is located here.”

              A map flashed in front of them.  There was silence.  Tucker coughed.

              “Pretty sure we won’t be needing that.  Seeing as _we’ll_ still be on this planet too.”

              “Very well.  Is there anything else you wish to know?”

              Tucker watched as Carolina and Epsilon got more information out of Santa, including communications and tractor beams.  Tucker was more focused on his hands.

              _Intense focus and meditation, huh?_

              He almost didn’t hear the next thing Santa said.

              “I am under the impression that you are fighting another group of humans.  Is this correct?”

              “Yeah, yeah, it’s old news at this point,” Epsilon said, simultaneously conferring with Carolina.

              “Then I suppose there is no benefit in telling you of the others in the vicinity.”

              “Yeah – wait.  Others?”

              Everything happened in an instant.  Four space pirates appeared and started shooting, Carolina activated her shield, Epsilon was screaming, and Freckles was shooting wildly.  Everything stopped as suddenly as it had started, leaving everyone crammed together underneath Carolina’s shield, pinned down by the four pirates.

              “Well, well, well.”

              A man in red armor and a weirdly-painted gun stepped forward.

              “Didn’t think you’d be smart enough to look up the AI.  Good thing you did, though.  We’ve got all the intel we need.”

              Tucker watched as the man raised his hand and a fire appeared in his palm.

              “I have special plans for you, Agent Carolina.”  He leaned over to one of the pirates.  “Kill the rest.”

              “By shooting us?” Tucker said.  “That’s definitely gonna work.”

              “Shut up, Tucker,” Carolina hissed.

              “Shooting you?” The man laughed.  “Are you even aware of what these powers can do?”

              One of the pirates disappeared, reappearing behind them.  Another leaned against one of the boulders in the mountainside.

              “We have powers too, you idiot!” Tucker called back.  “Think you can take us?”

              “Tucker,” Carolina growled.  “Shut.  Up.”

              “Have fun,” the man said, walking off.  “We won’t see each other again.”

              He disappeared around the corner.

              “Carolina?” Tucker asked.  “How long can you hold that shield up?”

              “Three minutes and counting,” Epsilon answered morosely.  “You got a plan?”

              Tucker stared wildly around at his surroundings.

              “Caboose,” he said quietly.  “Can you do the thing with the armchair again?”

              “I don’t think the pirates want an armchair, Tucker.  They look comfortable already.”

              “I need you to make them look _not_ comfortable.  Can you do that?”

              “You mean they need metal chairs?  Metal chairs are the worst, they always make my back hurt, and - ”

              “ _No_ , Caboose.  I need – you know what, just – pretend they’re stuck, okay?”

              “Stuck.”

              “ _Two minutes,”_ Epsilon called.

              “Yes, stuck, Caboose, I know you can do this.”

              Tucker turned to Grey.

              “How well can you use those fire powers?”

              Tucker could practically see the smile behind her visor.

              “Good.”

              “Hey, what are you guys up to?” one of the pirates called.

              “Nothing!  Just pretend not to hear us!” Tucker answered.

              “Okay.  We’re _totally_ not listening,” the pirate responded.  “By the way, we’re so going to kill you.”

              “Oh, it’s _on_ ,” Tucker smiled.

              “One minute!”

              Tucker and Carolina with no powers, Caboose with no idea what to do, and a deranged doctor who just discovered her powers _last night_.

              _We are totally fucked._

              The shield dropped right on schedule.

              Grey attacked the pirate behind them first.  She managed to burn his arm enough for him to drop the weapon before he teleported away.  The pirate near the boulder pushed it down with ease, and everyone dove out of the way.  Two seconds later, the same pirate cried out.  It looked like his foot was stuck in the ground.  Tucker raised his pistol and took the shot before he could realize it was all fake.

              One of the pirates kept jumping out of the way of fire.  With one swift movement of her arms, a big gust of wind picked up and sent them all flying.  Carolina burst into a blur as she raced to catch her, leaving the fourth pirate facing everyone else with his hands outstretched.  The ground beneath them began to shake, and rocks began falling from the mountain.  One landed on Caboose, and he cried out as his leg became trapped.  Grey growled in frustration and focused on the pirate, sending flames flying towards his face.  He screamed before falling and not getting up.

              Carolina slowed down and threw the air pirate to the ground, a hole in her helmet.  Grey ran over to Caboose to help as Tucker permitted himself one breath of relief.

              Then he felt a gun pressed against the back of his head.

              _Shit_.

              “Drop your weapons!” the pirate ordered.  Grey looked up, clearly frightened, and tossed her tiny pistol across the floor.  Caboose was still pinned and crying.  Tucker didn’t think he’d noticed the situation yet.

              Carolina took a step towards him and Tucker felt the gun jammed possibly further into the back of his skull.

              “Don’t move!” the pirate yelled.  “Your weapons!”

              Tucker looked away from Carolina towards his hands.  He slowly reached them behind him.  The pirate didn’t notice.

              Carolina dropped her guns and threw her hands up.

              “Let him go,” she said firmly.

              Tucker felt his fingers brush the pirate’s bad arm.  He closed his eyes.

              Something clicked inside him, like finally remembering a word you had forgotten, and he focused all of that feeling into his hand.

              Behind him, the pirate screamed before cutting off and falling to the floor.

              Carolina grabbed her gun and sprinted over, pointing it at the pirate’s head.  Tucker whirled around and almost gagged at the sight.  The pirate’s entire chest piece was a melted charred mess of metal.  He wasn’t moving.

              Eager to get away, he ran over to Caboose.  With Grey’s help, they pushed the rock off of him.  His leg was messed up, Tucker knew, but he seemed okay otherwise.

              “Freckles didn’t know what to do!” Caboose cried.  “It’s not his fault.”

              Tucker put an arm around Caboose’s shoulders.

              “It’s no one’s fault, buddy.  But hey, I have fire powers now!  We can work together!”

              Tucker could tell Caboose was trying to smile.  Carolina walked back over to everyone.

              “We need to get back to base.  Now.”

              “Why?” Grey asked, her voice fearful.

              “Because that asshole heard everything.  He’s going after that key to get into the Purge.”

              “Then we need to stop him!” Tucker said.

              “ _Roger that, Captain Tucker_.”  Doyle’s voice came over the radio.  “ _I heard the whole thing.”_

              “Doyle, we need to regroup,” Carolina said.  “These guys are too dangerous to take on alone.  We barely managed four of them together.”

              Doyle was silent for a few seconds.

              “ _I do wish you had told me that sooner.”_

              “What did you do?!” Carolina snapped.

              _“I may or may not be going after that key.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That moment when you realize that you've created an AU and the entire plot of season 13 is in your hands.


	5. Chapter 5

              It took less than an hour to regroup with Kimball thanks to the Pelican she had preemptively sent.  The whole time, Carolina kept Doyle on the radio, trying to convince him to come back.

              “ _I’ve already told you, that is quite impossible at the moment, Agent Carolina.  I’m past the point of no return, as you could say.”_

The Pelican landed, and as Grey wheeled Caboose off to the infirmary, Tucker stayed near Carolina as she burst into the war room.  Kimball was already there, gripping the edges of the communication controls.

              Kimball was on the radio before Carolina could say anything.

              “General Doyle, what is your location?”

There was a long pause.

              “ _I’m in a snowy area._ ”

              Tucker bit back a laugh as both Carolina and Kimball growled together.  Kimball turned on the monitor hanging on the walls and pressed a few buttons.

              “General, I need you to activate your helmet camera.”

              There was some muttering and fumbling on the other end of the radio.  Then the screen burst to life with a POV shot of a snowy landscape, Doyle’s hands rubbing anxiously together.

              “Not sure how much that will help you…” Doyle said, his voice clearer than it had been on the radio.  “Is it working?”

              “Yes.  And it will help because this way we can tell you what to do.”

              “Right,” Doyle said, sounding quietly relieved.  “Well, what about that AI you were speaking to?  He seemed to have some good ideas.”

              “Focus on your powers, Doyle,” Carolina ordered.  “This morning, Caboose managed to make things appear that weren’t really there.  Maybe you could - ”

              Doyle yelped, and Tucker saw him stumble behind a rock as a few pirates walked by.

              “Stay low,” Kimball whispered.  “If you can, try making it look like there’s just snow, no you.  Like you’re turning invisible.”

              “Are you sure he can’t actually do that?” Tucker asked.  Kimball shot him a look.

              “I – um – I’m not sure if this will work…” Doyle stuttered.

              “Just try, Doyle,” Carolina reassured him.

              Doyle stretched out his arms, making doubtful noises.  The area in front of him changed, and the snow seemed to warp.

              “Am I doing it?” Doyle asked.

              “One way to find out,” Tucker muttered.  It was Carolina’s turn to shoot him a glare.

              Doyle took a hesitant step forward, then another.  He slowly inched his way across the path, holding up the illusion all the while, until he managed to turn and run the other way without the pirates spotting him.

              “I – I’m not sure I believe it, but I did it!” Doyle said with joy.

              “Great job, Doyle!” Carolina had relaxed ever so slightly.  “Now, you know where the key is?”

              Kimball and Carolina helped him get to the key and get to the exit, utilizing illusions whenever they had to.  Tucker wouldn’t dare say it to Kimball, but this was the best her and Doyle had gotten along since the beginning.

              On his way out of the building, Doyle screeched to a halt and dove to the side.  Tucker’s stomach sank.

              “How did _he_ get here so quickly?” he groaned, staring as Doyle peeked around the corner and saw the telltale orange and grey armor that was Felix.

              “It doesn’t matter,” Carolina growled.  “We can’t let him get the key.”

              “I think he’s coming this way!” Doyle whispered desperately.

              “A blockade,” Tucker said, running forward.  “We need to block that door, make it look like it’s impassable!”

              “Alright, invisibility I can manage…” Doyle began.

              “You have to!” Kimball cried.  “We can’t - ”

              “I know.”

              Doyle stretched out his hand again.  Tucker could see Felix approaching slowly in the corner of Doyle’s vision.  He chewed his lip as he watched the metal of the doorway seem to bend and break.  The entire door collapsed in on itself, and the only thing breaking the illusion was the lack of sound.

              Everyone held their breaths as they heard Felix slow his approach.

              “Goddamnit,” he cursed, then turned on his radio.  “Looks like the little general’s got metal powers.  I’m finding another way in.”

              Nobody dared move until Felix’s steps could no longer be heard.

              “General Doyle.” Kimball spoke first.  “Get the hell back here ASAP.”

              “Roger that.”  Doyle let out a short laugh.  “I honestly might be getting used to this.”

              Doyle made it down the mountain unhindered before he turned a corner and ran straight into a pair of pirates.

              “ _Run!”_ Kimball screamed, but Doyle was already sprinting.  He kept his head down as they shot at him, and he ducked into a cave.  Immediately, he focused on the entrance, making the rocks and dirt look like a cave-in.  The shooting stopped, and Doyle fell back as far as he could while maintaining the illusion.

              Tucker saw the camera shake as Doyle ran into something.

              “ **Who dares run into me?!** ” a familiar voice shouted.

              Doyle whirled around to find himself face to face with Doc.

              “Who are you?” Doyle asked warily, one hand still stretched to the entrance.

              “Oh hi!  I’m Doc.  Guess you found my little hideout, huh?”

              “ **You have trespassed on my lair, you worthless idiot!”**

Doyle struggled for a response, but Tucker beat him to it.

              “Doyle, he’s a friend.  Just tell him you’ll take him home once you get out of here, alright?”

              Doyle laughed nervously.

              “A tad preoccupied at the moment, I’m afraid.  Tell me, Doc, what powers do you have?”

              “ **The power to tear you apart!”**

“Well, my hands started glowing a few days ago…”

              “Excellent!” Doyle exclaimed.  “Then be a good man and come and help me.”

              He explained the concept in less than ten words, and luckily Doc understood.  They both focused on the cave-in as Tucker heard the pirates conversing with someone outside.

              “The general’s got powers, sir.”

              “He knocked the cave down.  We can’t get in!”

              There was a heavy sigh.

              “You do realize there’s nothing there, don’t you?” Locus growled.

              _Fuck_ Tucker thought.

              The illusion flickered, then vanished altogether.  Locus stood at the entrance, gun pointed at Doyle’s head.

              “General,” he acknowledged.  “The sword.”

              “ **Taste my wrath, puny weakling!”** Doc shouted as he flew forwards.  Doyle yelped and took off running.

              There was a gunshot, and Tucker heard Doc cry out.  Locus appeared out of nowhere in front of Doyle, the shadows of the cave still seemingly stuck to him.  He leveled his gun at Doyle.

              “I won’t ask again, general.”

              Tucker saw Doyle look down at the sword before he reached up and switched off his helmet camera.

              “Doyle?” Kimball leaned forward urgently.  “Doyle, goddamnit, what’s happening?”

              A beat.

              “ _I’m sorry, Vanessa.”_   Doyle sounded heartbroken.  “ _I didn’t want you to see that._ ”

              “What happened?!”

              Sounds of movement.  Doc’s faint moans grew louder.

              _“This doesn’t look fatal.  I’ll get you to a doctor, don’t you worry.  Thank you for trying to help me.”_

              Doyle heaved a sigh.

              “ _I’ll need a Pelican.  We’re coming back to Armonia.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There might be a teensy mini-chapter on Monday. Maybe.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, remember that mini-chapter I semi-promised? Well here it is, a day early (I had some time on my hands).

              When the Pelican landed, there was a small crowd forming around the hanger.

              “Where the hell did you all come from?” Tucker demanded, shoving a few cadets aside to get to the front.

              “Captain Caboose told us that General Doyle was going on an important mission!” Andersmith said excitedly.

              Kimball stood at the ready, her back straight and her hands clasped firmly behind her back.  The door opened, revealing Doyle standing watch over a slumped Doc.  Grey rushed forward with a stretcher, shaking her head, before helping Doyle pull him on.  As she rushed away, Doyle glanced over at the crowd of people.  His head fell low, and he turned away.

              A hushed murmur rippled through the crowd as Doyle walked up to Kimball, his whole body radiating failure.  Kimball sighed and led Doyle past the crowd into the base.

              “But…I thought he was doing something brave for a change,” Andersmith whispered.

              “Hey!” A federal soldier whirled on him.  “He’s probably braver than you!”

              Fighting broke out, and Tucker screamed for quiet.  Few people listened.

              “Fine,” he muttered, storming his way back to the meeting room, leaving the hanger in chaos.

              He opened the door to find more yelling.

              “Is this how you show proper leadership?!” Kimball was shouting.  “By broadcasting failure to the entire base?”

              “I was a bit preoccupied by the wounded soldier who helped me!”

              “Grey had him under control.”

              “Vanessa, I don’t know what you want from me.”

              “I want you to be a goddamn leader.  And don’t call me - ”

              “Both of you, _shut up!”_ Tucker screamed.

              Kimball and Doyle turned to him, shocked into silence.

              “This situation sucks, alright?  We lost everything to a bunch of assholes, two of us are in the hospital, and Locus can not only see through our tricks but has _fucking shadow magic._ ”

              He paused to catch his breath.

              “But we’re not gonna get anywhere just _fighting_ like this, okay?”

              Someone behind Tucker put a hand on his shoulder.

              “Let me take it from here, okay Tucker?” Carolina said softly.  “Why don’t you go check on Wash?”

              Tucker hesitated as Carolina stepped forward in nothing but her civvies, before she turned and gave him a knowing look.  He sighed and left the room.

              He found Wash in his room, doing push-ups on the ground, his armor stacked neatly to the side.

              “You alright?” Tucker asked as he pushed the door open.  “Usually you’re doing those in the training rooms.”

              Wash fell back against the base of the bed and closed his eyes.

              “I’ve been better.”

              Tucker sat next to him.

              “Don’t tell me your powers are bothering you again,” he groaned.

              Wash shook his head.

              “It’s off and on, but no.  I’m just – I’ve been doing some thinking.”

              “About?” Tucker asked, dreading the answer.

              “Locus.  Felix.  Everyone we’re fighting.”

              He ran his hands through his hair, resting them at his implants.

              “We all have something in common.  And…if what Doyle saw is right, Locus and I are…too close for comfort.”

              “What are you saying, Wash?”

              “I’m saying, what if we use that to our advantage?”

              He glanced over at the door.

              “Morale’s at an all time low.  There’s in-fighting, and powers training has ground to a halt.  Locus has the key, and - ”

              “He can’t use it!”

              “That doesn’t matter, Tucker.  All it would take would be one sniper shot.  My point is – what would happen if we tried to parlay?”

              Tucker turned to Wash, slack-jawed.

              “You’re not serious.”

              “I’m being perfectly serious.”

              “Wash, this is goddamn _Locus_ we’re talking about!”

              “We have the same powers, Tucker.  The same…’emotional psyche’.  Maybe I can reason with him.”

              “And what happens when Felix bursts in wielding his flamethrower hands?”

              “We don’t know what powers he - ”

              “Oh come on, he _totally_ has fire powers.  Just _look_ at him.”

              Wash grabbed Tucker’s hand, forcing him to focus.

              “Tucker, this is the best plan we have.”

              Tucker actually laughed.

              “This is _not_ the best plan we have!  This is like the _worst_ plan we have, and that’s including Caboose’s idea that he can just hug them all to death!”

              “Tucker, maybe the whole point of these powers _was_ to bring us together.”

              “Together with the murdering space pirate assholes??”

              “If it can stop this fighting, _yes._ ”

              Tucker stared at Wash.  He stared back, unblinking, and Tucker sighed.

              “I’m not gonna change your mind on this, am I?”

              “I don’t think so.”

              Tucker let his head fall onto Wash’s chest.

              “God, Wash, will you at least _sleep_ on it?”

              “Given my previous track record of actual _sleep -_ ”

              “You know what I mean.  Fuck, it’s been a long day.  Can we just forget big suicidal plans and just…?”

              Wash let out a small laugh and kissed Tucker’s forehead.

              “Yeah.  Yeah we can.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From now on, this will be updating on Sundays, not Saturdays. Sorry y'all, I've got a job now.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the one-day delay :)

              Tucker woke up early, remnants of unsettling dreams slipping away.  He shook his head and looked over at Wash, who was still sound asleep.  Careful not to wake him, Tucker slipped out of bed and got dressed, before heading over to the infirmary.

              There weren’t as many people in the beds as Tucker was used to, which he figured was a good thing.  Doc was snoozing on a cot, bandages wrapped tightly around his shoulder.  Caboose was sitting up in bed, fiddling with his IV.  When he saw Tucker he beamed.

              “Tucker, you came to see me!” he exclaimed, putting aside the IV.  He moved to get out of bed and Tucker ran to stop him.

              “Come on, buddy, they just set this,” he said, pointing to Caboose’s leg, which was in a cast.  Caboose frowned.

              “I want to stand up so that I can go see everyone else.”

              “You will eventually, okay?”  Tucker perched on the edge of Caboose’s bed.  “For now, just rest.”

              “I heard that Doyle went on a fun mission.  I know because everybody was yelling about it outside.  Did he find buried treasure?”

              Tucker smiled sadly.

              “No treasure.  He tried to find a key, but…”

              “He lost something.  Did he lose the key?  I have a good memory, maybe I can help find it!”

              Tucker shook his head.

              “Not this time.  Besides, Wash has a plan for everything.”

              “Agent Washingtub has a plan?  Is it a good plan?  Does it involve keys or memories?”

              Tucker hesitated.  A part of him wanted to keep Caboose from learning that his friend was planning on walking into a death trap.  But he knew that he would eventually learn anyway.

              “Wash, he…he wants to try and talk to the bad guys. Make them give up or something.”

              Caboose’s face brightened.

              “He wants to make new friends!  I can help with that, I am very good at making friends.”

              “I’m sure you are.  But this is Locus and Felix we’re talking about.  I’m not sure how much - ”

              “Felix likes showing off things, like his cool knives.  And Locus is scary, but not as scary as Felix is.”

              Tucker stared at Caboose.

              “That might actually help.”

              Tucker’s radio blared to life in his ear.

              “ _Tucker, where are you?”_ Carolina.  “ _Wash is here talking about a plan, but he wants you around.”_

“I’ll be right there,” Tucker answered.  “Hey, Caboose?  I’m gonna go, but thanks for the advice.”

              Caboose smiled back.  “I like being helpful!  Can I come too?”

              “Stay here and rest, big guy.  I want you back on your feet ASAP, alright?”

              Caboose nodded, and Tucker left the room.

* * *

              Wash was in the meeting room, pacing in front of Kimball, Doyle, and Carolina.  Epsilon was at her shoulder, his arms crossed.  He didn’t look happy.

              Wash slowed as Tucker entered the room. He looked up and smiled gratefully.

              “Thanks for coming,” he said.  “I need your support on this.”

              “Dude, I don’t think you know what _support_ is.  But sure, glad to see you too.”

              Wash turned to the others.

              “I want to organize a meeting with Locus.”

              There was outrage, as Tucker expected.

              “You want to _what_?” Carolina snapped.

              “I think a parlay would be good.  It might get us somewhere.  We can’t do anything else right now, can we?”

              “We can fight, like _usual_ ,” Kimball growled.  “Right, Doyle?”

              Doyle was silent.

              “Doyle?  You can’t actually think this is a good idea.”

              “I think it’s a terrible idea.  But he’s right.  We don’t have much of a choice, do we?”

              “You want us to _beg for our lives_ to these…these – _monsters?!”_ Kimball stuttered.

              “I want us to try a different tactic,” Wash argued.  “Maybe we _can_ work together.  Maybe that’s what these powers are for.”

              Everyone was quiet for a few moments.

              “Wash,” Carolina said firmly.  “This might be suicide.”

              “I think he knows that, C,” Epsilon remarked.  Tucker glared at him.

              “It might just work,” Wash admitted.

              He stood before everyone, shoulders squared, but Tucker could see nervousness in his eyes.  He sighed and walked over to him.  He took Wash’s hand in his own and turned to everyone else.

              “If Wash thinks it might work, then I say we go for it.”

              Everyone stared back at them.  Kimball spoke first.

              “Organize the call.”

              “Kimball - ” Carolina began, but Kimball held up her hand.

              “It’s worth a shot.  God knows we need something right about now.”

* * *

              The call was easy enough to orchestrate.  Broadcast on a public channel long enough and you get a response.  Locus’ unfeeling helmet flickered to life on screen.  Wash stood in the middle, his helmet hiding his anticipation.  Tucker squeezed his hand before he started to talk.

              “Locus.  I want to extend an offer of parlay to you.”

              “You _what?”_ Locus answered.

              “I want to organize a brief truce in which we can negotiate terms and communicate better.”

              The camera moved, and Felix was standing there.

              “Let me get this straight,” he said.  Tucker could hear the glee in his voice, and he shuddered.  “You want to willingly come to _us_?”

              “Yes.”  Wash sounded strained.

              “Oh, Locus, you have to let this happen.  I always thought about how to kill them, but this - ”

              “No.”  Locus’ voice was aggressive, beyond what Tucker thought he could sound like.

              “No?  Locus, come on, this - ”

              “If Agent Washington wants to organize a truce, then we will let him.  Is that understood?”

              Felix glanced between Locus and the camera.

              “Fine,” he murmured, before shoving the camera back towards Locus.

              “Very well, Agent Washington.  You can have your truce.  I’m sending you the coordinates for the meeting place.  Bring only who you need.”

              The camera shut off.  Tucker let out breath he hadn’t realize he’d been holding.

              Below the monitor, the computer was displaying coordinates.  Kimball moved forward and examined them.

              “I can’t believe it.”

              She showed the map to everyone else.

              “He picked a neutral spot.  There’s no ambush areas, no sniper hideouts.  He really wants to meet with you, doesn’t he?”

              Tucker looked over at Wash.

              “Your suicidal idea might actually work.”

              Wash unsnapped his helmet and pulled it off his head.  His hair was a mess, and though he tried to hide it, Tucker could see hints of fear in his face.

              “That’s what I’m afraid of,” he admitted.

* * *

              Wash decided to bring Carolina and Tucker to the parlay – her combat skills matched with Tucker’s fire powers would make a good combination for an unarmed negotiation.  He kept his helmet camera on and running, so that Kimball and Doyle could see everything back at the base.

              The coordinates Locus had sent led them to an open stretch of land in a small valley.  An empty gas station marked the only structure nearby, before the hills around them curved up and out of sight.  Kimball had been right – the location felt secure.  Carolina had already scouted the station, and there was no place a sniper could lay without exposure.

              Yet as a Pelican landed and Locus and two other pirates disembarked, Tucker couldn’t shake the feeling that something was going to go wrong.

              “Agent Washington,” Locus greeted tersely.

              “Locus,” Wash replied, just as tense.

              “I suppose you have an outcome for this meeting?” Locus asked.

              “I’m hoping,” Wash began.  “That we can find some sort of balance.  It’s these powers.  We both…exhibit the same thing.  I’m sure one of your men has the same powers as Tucker here, and I - ”

              “What are Captain Tucker’s powers?” Locus interrupted.  Tucker shot a glare at Wash from beneath his helmet.

              “I’m, uh…not at liberty to say.”

              “A peace talk goes both ways, Agent Washington.”

              Wash stayed silent, trying to come up with an answer.  Tucker beat him to it.

              “I control motherfucking fire.  Can either of these two guys do that?”

              The pirates had to have been getting paid double for this, because they stayed still and quiet while Locus considered the question.

              “This one controls metal.  And this one, water.”

              He peered at Carolina, who was already flexing her fingers into fists.

              “And you?”

              This time, Wash spoke up.

              “She doesn’t need anything.  You know that.”

              Locus nodded.  “I’m well aware of Agent Carolina’s skills.  Am I to understand that your men, too, have people who haven’t exhibited any changes?”

              “Yes.”

              “Interesting.  And what are you suggesting?  A surrender?”

              “An alliance.”

              One of the pirates let out a snicker.  Locus glared at him before turning back to Wash.

              “You know I can’t do that.”

              “Listen, Locus,” Wash said, taking a half-step forward.  “You and I are a lot more similar than I thought.  All your ramblings may have been right.  We got the same powers because we feel the same things.  And I think we both want this war to be over with.”

              Locus scoffed.

              “You’re treading on dangerous ground, Agent Washington.  My orders are orders.”

              “It’s not just us.  Every person these powers affected has something in common with everyone else.  It’s why the temple existed in the first place – to bring people together.”

              Locus paused for a minute.

              “There’s been an update,” he said shortly.  “In the war.  In my orders.”

              “I’m sorry?” Wash asked.

              “The reason I accepted this meeting was not to entertain you, Washington.  It was an effort to see if we could negotiate a surrender.”

              Tucker could see Carolina shifting into a fighting stance.  Wash looked confused.

              “The Purge temple.  If it is activated, the Temple of the Elements is decommissioned.  We can no longer rely on a broader force to eliminate you.  So let me repeat again: do you wish to surrender?  Or do you want me and my army to use their powers to kill you individually?”

              Everyone was stunned.  Carolina looked ready to punch someone, but Wash spoke first.

              “It doesn’t have to end this way.  We can work together on this.  We can help you beat Hargrove back.”

              The silence that followed was deafening.  Locus tilted his head slightly, and for a second Tucker actually thought he was considering Wash’s proposal.

              “Agent Washington,” Locus replied after a century of quiet.  “I believe - ”

              With a painful gasp, Wash doubled over.  Tucker whipped around in time to see Felix emerge from active camo, removing bloody fingers from the knife now embedded in Wash’s back.

              “You _fucker_!” Tucker roared as he tried to tackle Felix.  He simply sidestepped him and pulled a gun, pointing it at Tucker’s helmet.  Tucker slowed, staying still but shaking with rage.

              “This camo unit really is lots of fun, Locus!” Felix called.  “Thanks for letting me borrow one.”

              “Felix,” Locus growled.  “What are you _doing_?”

              “Peace talks were getting boring.  You weren’t actually going to take them up on their offer, were you?”

              Locus didn’t answer.  Felix laughed.

              “You _were_ , weren’t you?  You’re getting soft, Locus.”

              Wash had collapsed to the ground, clutching at the knife.  Felix had avoided his armor, and there was a lot of blood.  Tucker saw Carolina slowly kneel next to Wash, trying to reach the wound.

              “Leave him alone,” Felix demanded, fixing the gun on Carolina.  “I wouldn’t want to - ”

              Tucker charged.  He focused on all of his anger and turned it into something _else_.  Flames appeared at his fingertips and he wrapped them around Felix’s arm.  He yelped in surprise and dropped the gun, falling back and activating his shield.

              “You little - ”

              Felix held out an arm.  Tucker was trying to figure out how to punch him through the shield when he heard someone choking.  He turned.

              Carolina’s helmet had fallen off, and she was strewn on the ground, a hand grasping at her throat.  Water was suspended midair, surrounding her head, and she couldn’t breathe.  She was drowning on land.

              “Stop it!” Tucker cried.  His hands were hot, ready to burn the bastard’s face off, but he couldn’t reach him.  “Just stop it!”

              Carolina continued to struggle.  Tucker watched, helpless, as both the Freelancers, his friends, lay on the ground dying.

              “Felix!” Locus stepped forward.  “That’s enough.”

              “Don’t act like this isn’t your first time seeing this, Locus,” Felix snapped.  “You really want to choose the Freelancers over _me?_ ”

              “Hargrove wants them alive.”

              Felix stopped for a second, and the water surrounding Carolina dropped.  She started coughing, and Tucker ran over to her, ignoring everything else.

              “You’re bluffing,” Felix said.  “You just want to take their side.”

              Locus sighed.  He picked up the gun from where Felix had dropped it.  With no hesitation, he aimed it at Tucker and fired.

              Tucker didn’t have time to react.  He just stared at the gun as he heard the bullet whistle by his ear, a heartbeat away from his visor.

              Locus marched up to Felix, who dropped his shield in shock.

              “Hargrove wants them _alive,”_ Locus repeated, bearing down on his partner.  An unspoken conversation passed between them, before Felix extracted himself from Locus’ shadow and walked towards the Pelican, the two pirates following.

              Locus looked down at Tucker, who was gaping up at him.

              “You’d better take _excellent_ care of your friends, Captain Tucker,” Locus said, punctuating each word with emphasis that chilled Tucker to the bone.  “Because there will be no more peace talks.  Next time I take a shot at you, I _won’t miss.”_

              He dropped the gun he was holding.  It clattered to the ground, and Locus disappeared into thin air.

              As the Pelican took off behind him, Tucker pulled Wash into his arms.  He put pressure on the wound and pressed his helmet to Wash’s.

              “I’m sorry,” he whispered, tears falling onto his visor.  “I’m so sorry.”

* * *

              The Pelican took too long to pick them up.  Carolina recovered quickly, and though she looked a little pale, it was nothing compared to Wash’s pallor as she yanked off his helmet and checked his pulse.

              “Kimball, you need to come _now_.”

              “ _We’re coming as fast as we can, Carolina.”_

              It was almost an hour before the sweet sound of the ship landing reached their ears.  Wash’s breathing had gone from labored to barely functional, and both Carolina and Tucker had yet to take out the knife, as they were too scared it would cause more damage than good.

              Dr. Grey was waiting with a stretcher and a med kit, and it took only a few minutes to get back to the base.  Tucker and Carolina followed Grey to the infirmary, where Grey stopped them at the doors.

              “Medical personnel only,” she said firmly.

              At Carolina and Tucker’s protests, Grey shook her head.

              “You can’t help him anymore.  Just stay here and wait until I’m done with my _work.”_

              Carolina paced for five minutes before Epsilon popped up beside her head.

              “C, you can’t do this.  You just survived drowning, you’re not healthy enough to - ”

              “Epsilon, sign off.”

              “Carolina - ”

              “ _Sign off!_ ”

              He flickered away.

              They waited for hours in dead silence.  Carolina finally sat down after one after her legs had collapsed from underneath her.

              “Carolina?” Tucker finally asked, his voice broken from the tears he had shoved away.

              “Yeah?” Her voice sounded the same too.

              “Wash wasn’t hurt that badly, was he?”

              “Tucker…”

              “Because he had his armor on, right?  And we took care of him, and Grey has him now, and - ”

              Carolina wrapped a hand around Tucker’s.

              “I think Locus was lying about Hargrove wanting us alive,” Tucker admitted.  “He had to be.  Otherwise he would have helped.”

              The tears were back, and this time Tucker didn’t force them away.

              “I shouldn’t have encouraged him.  I knew this would happen.  I knew it, and I did nothing, I just - ”

              “Tucker.”  Carolina squeezed his hand.  “There was nothing you could have done.”

              Tucker leaned back and stared at the ceiling.  Carolina moved closer, and the two of them ended up leaning slightly on each other.  Carolina held tightly to Tucker’s hand, and they both waited for Dr. Grey.


	8. Chapter 8

              Tucker didn’t remember falling asleep until he was jolted awake by the infirmary doors swinging open.  He glanced down and saw Carolina out cold on his shoulder, and he shook her awake.  Dr. Grey was approaching slowly, still in her white lab coat.  Tucker could see bloodstains on the front of it, and he gulped.

              Grey attempted a smile, but cast her gaze to the floor.

              “Tucker…”

              Time slowed to a crawl as Tucker realized her usual chipper voice was gone.  He struggled for words but Carolina beat him to it.

              “Just say it.”

              Grey wrung her hands as she spoke.

              “He’s alive.  The knife punctured a kidney and he lost a lot of blood.  He’s…not well.”

              “But he’s alive?” Tucker felt all the hope he’d thought he’d lost swell into his chest.

              “He’s alive.”

              “Can we see him?” Carolina asked.

              Grey nodded, and led them back into the medical bay.  Doc and Caboose were crowded around a bed, Caboose leaning dangerously far out of his wheelchair.  Doc moved out of the way and Tucker gasped as he saw Wash.  He was lying in the bed, pale as a ghost, bandages wrapped tightly around his chest.  There was a frown on his face, and he looked in pain, even asleep.

              “ **Those monstrosities of nature will get what’s coming to them!** ” O’Malley raged.  A smile flickered across Tucker’s face before it disappeared as he reached out a hand and wrapped his fingers in Wash’s.

              “Agent Washingtub is sleeping, Tucker,” Caboose whispered.  “Will he wake up?”

              “Yes.  He’d better.”

              “Good!  I want to show him the shiny new things I can create.”

              Carolina sank heavily into a chair nearby, and Grey hovered above her.

              “Agent Carolina, I believe you are not telling me something.”

              Carolina tried to wave her off but Grey was already unsealing her armor.  Carolina didn’t protest as Grey pressed a stethoscope to her chest.

              “What happened to you during the parlay, Carolina?” Grey asked innocently.

              “Fucker tried to drown me.”

              “Well, he partially succeeded!”  Tucker didn’t know if the return of Grey’s excited voice was a good thing.  “You seem to have remnants of water in your lungs.  It’s a wonder you’re still functioning.”

              “I’m _fine_ ,” Carolina grumbled.  “It’s Wash who needs care.”

              “You both need care, silly!  Honestly, you Freelancers…”

              She bustled Carolina out of the room and left Tucker alone.  He leaned closer to Wash and pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead.

              “We’ll make them pay, Wash.  I promise.  We’re going to _destroy_ those motherfuckers.”

              “Yes, the bad men aren’t nice,” Caboose added.  “We thought we could work with them but they just want to be _evilllll_.”

              “ **Insolent fools.”**

              Tucker looked over to Caboose, who was waving his fingers around in the air.  A miniature version of Wash appeared on Wash’s chest, fully armored except for his blonde head.  He smiled and waved at Caboose, before running around the bed, exploring.

              “You’re really good at that, Caboose.”

              “Agent Washingtub told me that I was!  I want to show him how good I am but he won’t wake up.”

              An idea fell into Tucker’s head, and he straightened up.

              “You’re right, Caboose,” Tucker said.  “Wash believed in us.”

              He squeezed Wash’s fingers before standing up.  Caboose and his mini-Wash followed his movement as he walked to the door.

              “You guys want to fight these guys, don’t you?” Tucker asked.

              Caboose and Doc both nodded.

              “Well then, so will everyone else.”

* * *

              Tucker found himself in the Generals’ meeting room, facing Kimball as she took a deep breath.  Doyle was standing to the side, silent and looking away.

              “It’s a rallying cry, Kimball.  Everyone at this base cares about Wash.  Everyone’s concerned about him.  We can’t - ”

              “Captain Tucker.  I don’t think I remember disagreeing with you.”

              She turned to Doyle.

              “Would you like to help me on this?” she asked.  Tucker could tell it was hard for her to say.

              Doyle looked up quickly before fixing his gaze on the floor again.

              “I don’t believe Armonia would care about what I have to say now, would they?”

              Kimball sighed.

              “Suit yourself.”

              She walked over to the communication controls and pressed a few buttons.

              “Citizens of Armonia.  New Republic and Federal soldiers.  This is General Kimball broadcasting a base-wide message.”

              Kimball glanced over at Tucker before continuing.

              “As you know, we recently attempted a peace talk with our enemies.  Not only were we betrayed, but one of our own was attacked.  Nearly killed.  Agent Washington organized the talk in an effort to broker peace.  Instead, he received nothing but a knife to the back.

              Now I know most of you know Agent Washington.  He has been a valuable ally in this fight for our survival since he came into our ranks.  And to hear that he is hurt, and out of commission is hard for all of you.  But I need you to do better than that.”

              Kimball’s voice took on a stronger tone.

              “I need you to get angry.  I need you to pick up arms and be ready to fight.  Because we learned something amidst all the terrible things that happened.  We learned that our enemies no longer wish to kill us all in one fell swoop.  Instead, they’re idiots – because they think that they will take us out one by one.  They think that we will just _let them_.  And if they think that we’re just going to sit by and do nothing while they claim their victory then they are very, _very_ wrong.

              Starting today, I want everyone working on training and honing their powers double time.  Those soldiers with better capabilities will train those without.  Those soldiers without powers will begin focusing on unlocking them.  We are going to crack this mystery of what has happened to us wide open, and instead of being confused and scared, we will rise up and use these powers to _fight back!_ ”

              Tucker heard a few cheers from right outside the door.  He smiled.

              “We’re going to make those bastards afraid of us.  We’re going to make them wish they never came to our planet and fucked with us.  And when we win, we’re going to send them all back to hell where they came from!”

              The cheering grew louder.  Even Doyle was smiling. Kimball caught her breath and looked over at Tucker, who laughed.

              “You practice those speeches in the mirror every day?” he asked with a smirk.

              Kimball opened her mouth to respond when Carolina burst into the room, Grey trailing behind her.

              “Runner!” Grey was shouting.  “Get back into the infirmary where you belong!”

              “Tucker!” Carolina cried, running up to him.  “Water.  I can control water!”

              Tucker gaped at her as she grabbed his arms excitedly.  Grey tried unsuccessfully to grab her.

              “She thought that removing the water from her lungs _herself_ constituted as proper medical procedure which _allow me to remind you is **not**_ **!”**

              Carolina turned to Kimball, grinning.

              “I heard the whole thing.  You’re amazing.”

              Still in half of her armor, she swept Kimball into a hug and kissed her in front of everyone.  Grey heaved an exasperated sigh before physically pulling Carolina away.

              “Infirmary.  _Now.”_

              Carolina let herself be dragged away, smiling all the while.  As the door closed behind her, Tucker turned to Kimball.

              “Want to go see if anyone else wants to kiss you?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lemme tell you, I had SO MUCH FUN writing that speech. Kimball is such an awesome character to write for.  
> Big plans for next chapter. It's gonna be longer!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the 24+ hour delay. This chapter took a lot longer than anticipated.

              In the time since the last base-wide training session, a majority of the soldiers in Armonia had been practicing their powers on their own.  Some, like Caboose, had succeeded in figuring out the intricacies.  Other succeeded in almost burning the armory down for a fifth time.  Regardless, upon hearing Kimball’s speech, everyone rallied together, organizing themselves by powers.  Those with better knowledge attempted to teach those without, and surprisingly it went well.  Caboose enjoyed teaching other Light soldiers how to create illusions beyond simple structures.  Tucker spent some time instructing fellow Fire people how to focus their thoughts into more controlled flames.

              Carolina was put in charge of those without powers, in the hopes that she could convince others how to discover their own.  Tucker, after ensuring that his team wouldn’t set fire to themselves, joined her with his own ideas.

              “First, you need to focus,” Carolina was saying.  “Do some deep breathing and focus on the fact that something is different inside you.  We all have these powers now.  We just need to find them.”

              “We’ve given you all the list of traits the powers represent,” Tucker chimed in.  “Make it a Cosmo quiz – figure out which one matches your personality the most and focus in on that.”

              After half a day of nothing but breathing exercises and moral encouragement, a few people managed to unlock something.  Tucker smiled as those soldiers babbled excitedly about their newfound powers, then went off to join their respective teams.

              “Kimball,” Tucker asked on the third day of training.  He was observing the soldiers with Darkness powers, and he was missing Wash, who had yet to wake up.  “I was thinking about some things Wash was saying.”

              “About his powers?”

              “Yeah.  He was talking about his control like it was universal.  Like it could apply to everyone.  We did it in small doses before – do you think we could try again?”

              “You mean mix the teams?” Kimball asked.  “I’m not sure how wise that would be.”

              “Come on,” Tucker pressed.  “We have six different groups all trying their own individual things.  What if we threw them all together and saw what happened?”

              Kimball hesitated, then nodded, and sent the word out to the leaders.  Tucker watched from above as everyone crowded together, Feds and rebels alike.

              “It’s a clusterfuck,” Kimball said morosely.

              “It’s a good idea,” Tucker reassured her.  “Just look.”

              The soldiers were intermingling.  Tucker could see some of his Fire team waving their burning hands around as the Light soldiers tried to replicate the movement.  Water cadets showed those with Earth how a more fluid motion could benefit their carrying capacity, and the Earth did the same.

              The best response was from Wash’s Darkness team.  Almost all of them had adopted Wash’s style of the powers, and were therefore the most well-trained out of the six groups.  They let people gather around and listen as they explained their thought process, and by the end of the hour everyone in Armonia was trying Wash’s technique of accepting the powers and letting them flow.

              “Washington would have been proud to see this,” Kimball said later, as she watched some of the soldiers begin to retire.

              Tucker managed a smile.

              “Why don’t you go and help your team again?” Kimball suggested.  “Give them one more kick before they go to bed.”

              Tucker nodded and walked out of the room.  He headed downstairs and found Palomo telling some stupid story to the cadets around him.  They were all listening intently, and Tucker half-wanted to not interrupt.

              “Alright everyone, Kimball wants one more round out of you all before we hit the sack.”

              There was audible groaning, but Palomo and everybody else lined up in formation.

              “This time we’ll try target practice, okay?”

              Tucker positioned a training dummy a good distance away.

              “I wanna see how far we can throw these sweetass fireballs.”

              Palomo stepped forward too quickly, and Tucker rolled his eyes.  He rolled back his hand and chucked a tiny spluttering spark about five feet in front of him.

              “Nice job, big shot,” Tucker said, patting him on the back.  “Who’s next?”

              As each soldier tried, their range grew further and further away.  Palomo tried again and barely scraped the edge of the dummy.  Another cadet stepped forward and took a deep breath.  As she wound up, Tucker could see elements of different styles in her technique: the fluidity of Water, the solid base of Earth, and the precise focus and acceptance of Darkness.  Of Wash.

              Her hit landed right in the center of the dummy’s chest and lit the whole thing on fire.  The team behind her cheered.

              “Yes!” Tucker whooped, punching the air.  “Yes, that’s exactly how you - ”

              In the background of the cacophony of noise, an explosion went off.

              Most people didn’t hear it, and kept cheering, but Tucker motioned for them to be quiet.

              Another explosion sounded.  Closer this time.

              By that point, everyone in the area had gone silent.

              Tucker heard it first.

              “Gunfire!” he shouted.  “Get ready!”

              Everyone scattered, trying to find cover in the open space.  Most people were unarmed.  The armory was on the other side of the base.

              “We’ve been training for a reason!” Tucker shouted, though fear was billowing in his chest.  “Don’t let - ”

              Three Warthogs rounded the corner, covered with pirates.  Some were shooting wildly, swinging the mounted gun around like a toy.  Others were already using their powers, moving the metal containers nearby or setting things on fire.

              They hit the room hard.  Tucker saw three cadets go down instantly, murdered by the stray gunfire.  The rest of his team tried to retaliate, sending fireballs as much as they could.  Tucker saw the cadet who had hit the target hiding carefully behind a concrete barrier, aiming for the gunners.

              Tucker moved.  He clambered over the barriers and slammed into cover after cover.  His instincts took over, every battle move Wash had ever taught him humming through his brain.  He turned and aimed a shot at the driver of the first Warthog, who fell screaming out of the driver’s seat.  The Warthog spun out of control, flinging several pirates to the ground before it exploded in a corner.

              _“Tucker!  Captain Tucker, come in!”_

              Tucker flicked on his radio as he ducked behind cover again.

              “Kimball, what the hell is happening?”

              “ _They blew the city wide open.  They’re swarming in.  They caught us while we were low.  I need you and your men, now!”_

              Tucker heard another cadet die.  He tried another shot around the corner but it failed.

              “We’re kind of busy at the moment!”

              _“What’s your status?”_

              “We’re pinned down.  They ambushed us – I don’t know how we’re getting out of here!”

              Tucker heard screaming coming from the pirates.  He glanced around cover to see two Feds standing behind the pirates and moving the Warthogs themselves.  They flung the pirates off of them, and a rebel soldier appeared out of thin air and stabbed each with a knife.

              The soldier straightened and turned to Tucker.

              “Looks like you needed a hand, Captain Tucker.”

              “Thank you,” Tucker said gratefully.  “Now, I need to get to Kimball.  Where is she?”

              The three soldiers led Tucker and his team down into the city, taking side streets and various pathways to avoid more pirates.  Finally, they met up with Kimball, who was holed up in the infirmary with Dr. Gray and Carolina.

              “Where’s Caboose?” Tucker asked as everyone filed into safety.

              “He’s with Red Team,” Carolina answered.  “He’s surprisingly good at those illusions of his.”

              Tucker turned to Kimball.

              “What do we do?  We’re sitting ducks if we stay here!”

              “I don’t know.  Everyone’s scattered, they took us completely by surprise.  I don’t even think half my men have armor on.”

              “And Doyle?”

              “Rallying who he can find.  I don’t - ”

              Kimball cut herself off, and Tucker could hear desperation in her voice.

              “I don’t know what to do.”

              Epsilon flickered to life on Carolina’s shoulder.

              “Well, I have an idea.  You might not like it.”

              “Just tell me.”

              “We blow up Armonia.”

              “ _What?!_ ” Kimball snapped.

              “Everyone’s here!  From D’s calculations there’s a pretty high chance that they sent a majority of their people here.  They want us to get slaughtered.  So we evacuate and we blow the fuckers up.”

              Kimball put a hand to her helmet.

              “Doyle, are you hearing this?”

              “ _Loud and clear.  Vanessa, it…may just work.”_

              “We can remotely trigger the reactor,” Epsilon continued.

              “ _Let me do it,”_ Doyle said.  “ _I’m close to the reactor right now.”_

              “We’ll give you some back up,” Carolina said, moving towards the door.  “I’m on my way.”

              She left in a hurry.  Kimball signaled to the soldiers around her.

              “Get the word out that we’re evacuating.  Everybody, everywhere, needs to take off and get as far away from this city as they can.”

              The soldiers all nodded and left too.

              “Wash,” Tucker murmured.  He turned to Dr. Grey.  “What about Wash?”

              “I’ll ensure Agent Washington is taken care of, Tucker.  You can help by assisting General Kimball in acquiring a Pelican.”

              “Got it.”

              They moved silently, and each time they heard footsteps they ducked behind a corner.  Most of the time it was fellow soldiers running to the nearest escape route.  Occasionally it was pirates, and Tucker held his breath as they walked past.  They finally got to the loading bay.  Most of the Pelicans were gone, which Tucker took as a good sign.  They entered the Pelican and were about to charge it up when Tucker heard someone talking behind one of the loading crates.  Kimball forced the Pelican door closed with her hand in time before they both heard them.

              “Listen, I just don’t understand why we don’t just kill all these fucks and leave,” Felix was saying.  “Don’t you miss the high life?  When we could just relax and _not_ have to deal with crazy fuckos with superpowers fighting our every move?”

              “You know why we’re not activating it,” Locus growled.  “I’m not repeating it for you.”

              “We got along just fine without these stupid - ”

              “You seem to be enjoying your newfound abilities.  I don’t think you would want to get rid of them.”

              There was a pause.  “I see your game, Sam.  You just don’t want to let go of _yours_.”

              There was a grunt, and it sounded like Locus had just shoved Felix.

              “Codenames.  _Isaac._ ”

              Silence fell, and Tucker heard them both walk away.

              “Let’s just kill these fuckers while we have the chance,” Tucker whispered.  Kimball nodded in agreement.

              They managed to get the Pelican up and ready, and Dr. Grey promptly showed up with Wash on a stretcher, carried and surrounded by several other soldiers.  Behind her, Caboose and Red Team were running after them.

“Tucker!” Caboose shouted.  “Tucker, I have something to show you!”

“Shut up, you idiot, they’ll hear you!”

They all clambered onto the Pelican before Kimball took off.

              “Carolina, what’s your position?  Do you have a clear LZ?”

              “ _Give me - ”_ It sounded like Carolina was fighting someone.  “ _A minute.”_

“Carolina?”

              _“Sending them – now – just – come quickly.”_

              Kimball sighed and swept the Pelican around.  When she landed and opened the back, Carolina walked on.  Some of her hair was singed and she smelled distinctly like a barbeque, but she gave Tucker a weary smile.  Tucker glanced past her and saw the red-armored man from earlier lying dead in a pool of water.

As Kimball took off, she switched frequencies on the radio.

              “Doyle, what’s your status?”

              _“I’m at the reactor controls.  Imputing remote detonation - ”_

There was a gunshot, and sounds of struggle.

              “Doyle!” Kimball shouted.  “Come in Doyle!”

              _“I’m fine, I’m fine.  I - ”_

              The line went silent.

              “Doyle, you better answer me!”

              “ _I’m okay.  I’m, uh…”_

Doyle hesitated, before clearing his throat.

              “ _I, um…I’ll be taking the next flight out of here.”_

“What?” Kimball groaned.  “There _is_ no next flight!”

              “ _I’m well aware of that, Vanessa.  I just…I need to do this myself.”_

“Doyle, no, you can’t just give up your life, we _need you_!”

              “ _For what, Vanessa?”_ Doyle snapped.  _“To be useless in battle?  I was already a terrible soldier.  I’ve never done anything but fail as a General, and now, with these powers, I’ve done nothing but embarrass myself.  Let me do one thing right for a change.  Let me have this._ ”

              Caboose was tugging on Tucker’s sleeve.

              “Not now, Caboose!”

              “Tucker, it’s really important!”

              “ _What?”_

              Caboose reached over to Wash.

              “Look,” he said simply, and put a hand gently on Wash’s wound.  Caboose’s hand started to glow, and Wash groaned slightly, before Caboose took his hand away.  Underneath, Wash’s wound was gone, healed completely.  Wash gasped and sat up, clutching his side.

              “Caboose?” he whispered faintly.  Caboose looked proud.

              _Doyle_ Tucker thought.

              He sprang to his feet and bolted up to the front, where Kimball was pleading into her radio.

              “ _Please_ , Doyle, you don’t understand - ”

              The sound of a gun being fired went off.

              “ _You have less than a minute, Vanessa.  Live better than I did, okay?”_

              “Doyle, wait!” Tucker screamed.  “You _can_ live better, you can _heal people, you can - ”_

There was nothing but static.

The Pelican shook hard as the reactor exploded beneath them.  Kimball and Tucker didn’t notice that Carolina was gone.  Kimball stared hard at the piloting controls in front of her, while Tucker came back to sit beside Wash, who was poking at his nonexistent wound.  Caboose sat nearby, his helmet off, his smile wide.

              “The ship is bouncing!” he cried joyfully.  “I think it liked my trick with Wash.”

              Tucker sighed and dropped his head into his hands.

              “Great job, Caboose,” he managed.

              He tried to block out the distinct sound of Kimball crying.


	10. Interlude

              It’s not like Felix didn’t want his powers.

              When he first woke up from the planetwide blackout, he knew something was different.  He could feel it inside him, beating like a second heart.  He hadn’t felt like this in a long time.  Too long.

              It was two days before he knew what he could do.  Locus and him had spent the past fourty-eight hours convincing the sorry excuse for pirates that they worked with to not kill each other accidentally.  After the fifth soldier went flying into the wall, Felix had toppled a nearby oil can in rage.  It had taken him a few seconds to realize that the person making the oil float was himself.

              After that, he left the training to Locus in favor of focusing on this new and unexpected gift.  He ran experiments, tested his limits.  He could throw liquids with such force that they pummeled their target.  He could manipulate the element to his will.  He reveled in it.  Up until now, he had always felt like a god.  Now it was a reality.

              He started testing on live subjects.  Soldiers that needed to be disciplined.  He already knew how to move it around – the next step was child’s play.

              In hindsight, drowning the first soldier might have been for the best.  The pirates fell into formation at his command after that.  They were scared.

              They should have been.

              Now, Felix paced in front of Locus as he sighed.

              “Why do I need to repeat myself?” Locus groaned.

              “Because you haven’t given me a good enough answer yet!” Felix snapped.

              “It’s a simple calculation.  The sheer potential of these powers weighed against taking the lives of several hundred idiotic rebels.  The answer speaks for itself.”

              “These powers aren’t worth _shit_ anymore now that a majority of our forces just got their heads blown off by one of those ‘idiotic rebels’.”

              “Our losses don’t mean that we should go back on our decision,” Locus stated.

              “ _Your_ decision.  Your decision was to disobey our previous orders, accept our fates as gods, and give up on ever defeating these goddamn - ”

              “Who said we were giving up?” Locus took a step forward and stopped Felix’s pacing with his hand.  “We can still win this, Felix.  Why are you so against that possibility?”

              Felix paused.  He didn’t _want_ to give up his powers.  If he could, he would continue drowning everyone who got in his way forever.  It was Locus who was bothering him.  Locus, who was so enthralled with his ability to be anywhere he wanted, to disappear without a trace.  Locus, who thought that a handful of soldiers that only stuck around because they were getting paid would be better at defeating Chorus’ scum than a _literal murder button_.

              A murder button that Felix now had the key for.

              “Tell me the truth, Sam,” Felix said softly.  “If you could end this thing right now and _go home_ , wouldn’t you?  Even if it meant giving up your stupid powers?”

              Locus hesitated at the mention of his real name.

              “Be honest,” Felix continued.  “Please.”

              Locus took a deep breath.

              “We have to stick to the plan,” Locus said, his voice monotone.  “Last time we veered away from it ended poorly for us, remember?”

              Felix’s leg throbbed from the memory.  He lowered his gaze.

              “I had thought that you were too consumed by your own goddamn greed.”

              Felix looked Locus dead in the eye.

              “Now I know I was right.”

              “Felix - ”

              “ _Don’t_.  Call me.  That.”

              Felix turned around and marched out of the room.  He felt Locus’ eyes on his back as he walked away, and for half a second he wanted to stop.

He remembered how it felt to watch the life leave that soldier’s eyes.  How good it felt to see Agent Carolina on her knees, choking as poor Washington lay bleeding out in the dirt.

              His hand fell on the sword at his hip.  The key.

              Felix was good at killing.  That much he knew.  It didn’t matter if he had some sort of witchcraft to do it or a good old-fashioned knife.  He knew how to make someone’s heart stop.

              Locus was too focused on what he loved.  He had always been a bit too much like that.

              “Come on, baby,” Felix muttered as he picked up the sword and activated it.  “Come and show Daddy how it’s done.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all. So this work is gonna be taking a little break. I'm gonna be gone next weekend, for one. My new job is making it harder to write well, for another. And mostly, I just need to plan ahead on this project so I can keep writing well and y'all can keep enjoying the show. I don't wanna write myself into a corner because I was rushing to meet a deadline - I owe that to everyone who has been leaving so much generous support.  
> So this story WILL RETURN once I sort everything out. Until then, thank you so much for all your comments and kudos - every time I get an email from Ao3 my heart fills with joy.  
> Stay tuned for further updates (if any) at all-made-of-stardust on Tumblr. I tag anything fic related with "my fiction".


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